'Checkerboard' Tarmac in Stafford town centre is 'temporary solution'
Tarmac laid in a paved area of Stafford town centre is a “temporary solution” ahead of a major refurbishment project, Staffordshire County Council has said.
Recent maintenance work, which involved filling in spaces where paving slabs had been damaged in the area surrounding Market Square, sparked criticism from residents and visitors on social media – with some likening the appearance to a “checkerboard”.
On Tuesday a Stafford Borough Council meeting heard that Market Square is set to be one of the parts of the town centre improved using the £14.3m Future High Street Fund windfall the authority will receive from central Government.
Councillor Andy Cooper said: “One thing that people are beefing about big time is the state of the ground, the mixture of slabs, paving and Tarmac patches. It looks pretty dire to be honest – is that a maintenance issue or could we see some improvement on that?”
Councillor Gillian Pardesi said: “I’d forgotten what the surface looked like, with loose cobblestones and slabs and bits that are missing filled in with Tarmac. I can’t wait to see a beautiful new surface on Market Square.”
The central Market Square area is maintained by Stafford Borough Council, while the surrounding pedestrianised area is the responsibility of Staffordshire County Council.
David Williams, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “We are working with Stafford Borough Council on a funding package to refurbish the Market Square and surrounding pedestrianised highway. This would follow on from the county council’s £120,000 refurbishment of the pedestrianised highway in the north of the town centre between Stafford Street and the Gaol Square Island in 2017.
“The asphalt repairs are very much intended as a temporary solution to two problems. One is that the feature slabs of stone cannot be bought in small quantities so we lay down asphalt to prevent a trip hazard when they have been broken.
“The second problem is vehicles are driving over gratings and breaking the water channels beneath. In the short term we are laying replacement pipes and covering with asphalt to prevent a trip hazard. In the long term refurbishment works, like those carried out at the north of town centre, will include replacement of these drainage channels with a newer and much more durable units.”
Concerns were also raised recently about the replacement of the square’s Victorian-style street lights with more modern-looking instalments.
But Stafford Borough Council spokesman Will Conaghan said this week the new lampposts were a temporary measure while the other streetlights were being checked over structurally.
